Sometimes the last thing I want to do when I get home from work is cook dinner. Don't get me wrong, I love to cook, but when you have been away from the house for 12 hours you don't want to have to think about lifting another finger.

One pot pasta is like a gift from the lazy gods. There is minimal preparation, even less clean up and you come away with a delicious meal that will even impress your friends (at least I managed to impress mine with it).

I originally saw the recipe for one-pan pasta in Martha Stewart Living a couple months ago. I loved the concept. All the ingredients in one pot and BAM! pasta with sauce done in less time then it takes to get delivery.

I tried the Martha Stewart recipe, it was okay, but I felt like it was lacking some flavor and for me the pasta was a little over cooked. The second time around I tweaked the recipe to make it more flavorful and to work with ingredients I currently had in my pantry. Here is the version I adapted from the original.

Doesn't it look delicious? I want to just eat it off the page.

I call my version my one pot pasta, because I found my linguine didn't fit well in my large straight sided skillet, instead I used my large pasta pot. I also added the entire 16 oz box of linguine instead of just 12 oz, the more the merrier.

To give the pasta more flavor I swapped out the water for chicken stock (you can use vegetable broth if you prefer). I had no fresh cherry tomatoes or basil in the house so I used a can of diced tomatoes and a little oregano instead.

Since I felt that the pasta was a little over cooked the last time I made it, I waited until the pot was simmering for a minute before I added the linguine.

I love that I can adapt this recipe to what I have on hand in my pantry. This is definitely a good recipe to keep in your arsenal for when you just want a quick dinner on a busy night. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

One Pot Pasta

Adapted from Martha
Stewart Living

Servings: 4-5

Cook Time: approx. 10
minutes

Ingredients

1 can (15 oz) Diced Tomatoes
with Liquid

1 large Onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced

½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 tsp dried Oregano

4 cups Chicken Broth

2 tbsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tsps Kosher Salt

¼ tsp Black Pepper

1 box (16 oz) Linguine

2 springs fresh Basil
(optional)

Directions

Add the can of tomatoes, onion,
garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, chicken broth, olive oil, salt and
pepper to a large pasta pot. Cover, bring to a boil.

Once the pot is boiling add the
linguine and simmer for about 9 minutes, until pasta is al dente and you
have about 1- 1 1/2 inches of liquid left in the bottom.

Serve, garnish with fresh basil
& parmesan.

** Note: You can use
fresh cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large, in lieu of the
can of diced tomatoes. If you do this add ½ cup more of chicken stock to the
pot.

** Note: You can also
add the fresh Basil to the pot before cooking as well as garnish with it.